The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-04-07
TIE BUCKSKIN MARE.

&O'ROurke went off sentry duty and bor-
sroWed chew of tobacco from his relief,
!; PrivatN Fenton.
There's some divil's work afut the
night, John, I" he remarked, positively, as
he grounded his gun and began to strip
of his white cotton gloves. He looked
over the prairie to a point where the
moonlight became silver mist, and shook
{ his head at the yelping chorus which
came efrora beyond the. limit Of his vision.
The air was so dry and the night other
wise SO still that the sounds might have
! travelled a mile or more before the vibra-
tfons fell upon the tympanums at the gate
aof the. fort.
sManny's the night I've heard the ka-
syoW-tee's howl, but niver vance have I
Sheard thin sing SO fortissimo and all to-
gither as they have sung the last hour or
more. They've got some live thing down
and are stripping cts bones. At 8 ct wuz
wan here, and wan in the sage brush, and
wan way down in the canyon. At 10
they seemed to get thicker and closer to-
gither, and louder, like hounds on trail.
i Thin, all advance, heard scream-et
-SWuz q harse, / lay my hat ct wuz o harse
that scTeamed-and frJm that minute
they've been bowling like banshees. God
Spity the baste they've killed, and cts
sorra taste will be left Of him in the
manin, but, bones, and it's bad luck to
the ka-yow-tee that comes in rache Of my
gun, when I'm on duty or of-Iu give
give hem slug, sure as my names
O'Ronrke, I'll give hem slug"
oh, come eff, Phelim, and let the coy
otes alone. It's no funeral Of ours If they
have killed a horse.,n
..tAyi But that makes me reminder.
Ef the mise rouses Miss Bessie-God bless
her for the swatest divl that iver wore
silk-ef the Mise rouses her, and she gets
up: and goes OFF with her hounds on q
chase after thin, don't let her set q. fut
outside the stockade the night. Et's the
meejor's orders. -
All right. But it's little she cares for
{ her fathers orders. If she wants to go,
{ and Z refuse the gate, she'll be over the
stockade at the other end Of the fort In
side Of fire minutes. ~
cay! She's Wild, she Is that. But
livery inch the Teddy. Dye mind her in
Ssteps And her heart',-
10 The snbiectwas too large for o. 'Rourke's
limited vocabulary, and IN sheer disability
Stodo it Justice he shouldered his gun and
Stepped away to his barrack. 1t was out
Of the fuIlness Of his mind that the month
) refused to speak. The evidences Of the
girls tenderness Of heart we're so many
sthat It was hard to select q single one from
fhe embarrassment Of riches.
But It was not her human kindness,
3 nor her beauty Of face, nor yet her juno
: like carriage, that came dangerously near
tosetting her upon the pinnacle beside
O,Roufke,s other god and making him
/: fall down and worship her. It was what
2ha called her iyilishnessn that made
5 the MAJORS daughter Bessie his goddess
Along with her first teeth she took on
the name Of tomboy, and now in her 18th
Z year she was tomboy stin, without fear
ssof man or beast, and happiest when alone
! on the prairie with her horse and her two
greyhounds. She felt cribbed,. cabined
:sandI confined within the four walls Of
room, and when the spirit moved her, by
night OF by day, she Whistled to her
I hounds and was off for q run or ride.
The spirit had moved her tonight. But
Instead Of whistling for the dogs or calling
TO the groom to saddle her horse, she !
stepped stealtMly to the stables, keeping
I'm the strong shadow cast by the moon as
{ lar as possible. She wore q visorless
scloth cap bound securely to her head; her
,sgown reached no lower than her ankles,
and when she took an upward step to
reach q saddle hanging from q peg her
boot showed that it was Of brown leather
;sbuttoned to the knee. The saddle. was
! one. OF those double girthed, horn POM
!smeled ranchman,s heavy weights fitted
with raWhide lariat-which, when once
lin place, stick to the horse like another
,Scuticle, and by their shape help the rider
sto cling closer than "a brother. Both the
girls heels were spurred-the teeth on the
rO,Rels OF half inch, razor edged steel-end
tho bit she selected was a curb with large
aegA big buckshn mare, which was teth-
! ered IN the open, not far from the saddle
peg, threw her ears forward and curled
her lips away from her teeth like snarl-
ing bulldog when the girl came toward
:sher dragging the jinglfng harness. She
iihad the deep barrel, long legs, wide reach,
short pasterns and perfect hoofs Of the
racer; but her, eve neck s2Eiled her as 8
beauty, and the quick switching Of her
tail and vicious gleam in her eyes would
shave told the experienced horseman at
yonce that her temper was treacherous.
When the rlpassed before her, within
reach OF her teeth, her ears went back, her
-lIOubtCO OQcLS0S cuu 0C4 0Cfsl ouOU Iva WoA0
with that savage Iunge peculiar to biting
horses. But the vicious head only en-
{ scountered shawl, which .dexterously
blinded the beasts eyes and was firmly
Sknotted behind and under the tips of the
still dropping ears.
a The mare stood still. Only slight
trembling, from hryellow withers to her |
yellow pasterns, told Of the rage which
sthe blind had damned up.
- ssPoor old BucksHnl'' said the girl,
I goothingly, as she patted the eve neck,
S4.are they going to saddle you and ride
Z yuu when you don't want to be saddled
! and riddens,'
Then she whistled the hugle call, "Boots
! and Saddlei, while she threw ON the hac-
ness and, drew both gisths up till the
buckle tongues fitted in the last holes.
tsMyi But wouldn't father be angry If
he saw mel He says that no man in the
fort can ride Buckskin because she is 80
giciousand the idea Of having her shot
to-mofrowl shall take her a long, long
run tonight and show her that the mare
who can work, and won't work, must be
made to work, and then tomorrow she'll
Ebe gentle as an antelope kid. -
u L IL